Hey there. It's the final throes of September, before an October that promises to be scary, weird, and unprecedented—and that's before we even get into elections.

Tomorrow is Truth and Reconciliation Day, and given the recent white nationalist thugs spreading hate speech on First Nations land (sigh), it is a good time to remember what that stands for. It has been 11 years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission ended its work and produced 94 calls to action for ways the government can meaningfully improve Indigenous rights. Since 2019, there has been almost no movement: Indigenous Watchdog estimates that 41 percent of actions are stalled or not started, almost identical to 43 percent in 2019. 

Reconciliation is a work in progress—but just because it's hard doesn't mean we should give up. We owe each other more than capitulating to the worst of us.

— V.
Senior editor

What does housing security mean? Most people assume it's making mortgage payments within your means or renting a place that seems unlikely to get redeveloped. But, as Annette Reilly explains, sometimes you do all the things you're "supposed" to do and still find yourself struggling—suggesting that, maybe, there is no magic answer at all.

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JOB zooms in on two careerists of different generations, genders and political paradigms to examine what it means to be a citizen of the internet and our obligation to help the people who need it most. The play that took NYC by storm is now playing at The Cultch.

“Not everyone gets taught how to do makeup,” MUA Maxine Munson shares with the Straight. “It’s something they pick up from a friend or a sibling or their parent, and they just learn something, and they do that for decades.” Now, 15 years into her career, Munson's mission is simple: to teach regular people how to do their makeup, not through TikTok tutorials or photo carousels, but in real life.

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Melanie Loewen started collecting eggs by hand when she was eight. Today, her family's B.C. farms produce more than 150,000 eggs daily. From caring for young chicks to embracing modern technology, discover how one farming family combines generations of experience with a passion for providing fresh, locally produced eggs. Read her story.

There are some tropes of a heist movie that are practically old hat by now: the aerial drop-in, the laser array, the voice on a computer, and the desire for one last caper. The B.C. premiere of Heist turns a lot of these familiar pieces into an exciting theatrical production—one that borrows from cinema while telling a distinctly Canadian story.

Doug "Donut" Proulx, drummer for influential punk outfit Death Sentence, died over the weekend. But, as Mike Usinger writes, he has left behind a lasting legacy: as a genre pioneer, as a proud proponent of Indigenous art, and as one of the finest stickmen the city has ever seen.

THEATRE: Have A Senior Moment Festival recognizes that there's no age limit on making art. (To October 4 @ PAL Studio Theatre) 

COMEDY: Schalk Bezuidenhout embraces formerly-married energy in his Hey Hey Divorcé tour. (September 29 @ Rio Theatre)

THEATRE: JOB examines what it means to be extremely online—and have it blow up in your face. (September 29 to October 11 @ Historic Theatre)

CULTURE: Check out National Day for Truth and Reconciliation events at institutions around town, including Arts Umbrella, the Vancouver Maritime Museum, UBC's Frederic Wood Theatre, and the Museum of North Vancouver. (September 30 @ various locations)

FILM: And, action: Vancouver International Film Festival starts rolling. (October 1-11 @ various locations)

LIVING: Burnaby's annual Halloween Festival lasts all month long, with a dozen spine-tingling events taking place across the city. (October 1 to November 8 @ various locations, Burnaby)

Want to know what else is happening in Vancouver? Check out our events listings.

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